Remembering the kidnapping of Republican James Connolly

IN January 1916, a historic alliance was formed between the Irish Citizen Army and the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) at a secret meeting in Dublin.

This important meeting, which united nationalist and socialist republican forces in preparation for an insurrection, laid the foundations for the 1916 Rising.

The meeting, which began on January 19, lasted three days and has sometimes been dramatically referred to as

‘the kidnapping of James Connolly’.

James Connolly was the towering figure of the Irish Revolutionary movement in the early 20th century.

A committed Marxist, Connolly was convinced that the outbreak of the European War provided a perfect opportunity to strike a blow for Irish freedom and he was determined to ensure that that opportunity was not lost.

On assuming command of the Irish Citizen Army in 1914, Connolly, a former British soldier, set about turning the workers’ defence force into a disciplined republican army that was prepared to fight alone if necessary.

As the war waged on, Connolly became concerned that the larger nationalist and republican organisations had failed to realise the significance of the opportunity presented to republicans.

He began to use the pages of his radical newspaper,

‘The Workers Republic’, to popularise his ideas and openly call for an armed uprising in Ireland.

Connolly set an Irish insurrection in the context of what he hoped would be a series of revolutions by the European working class against the war and Imperialism.

Using

‘The Workers Republic’, he set out his platform and began to win support in wider republican circles, particularly amongst rank and file members of the IRB and the Irish Volunteers.

Connolly’s open calls for revolution began to worry the Military Council of the IRB who had been secretly planning a rebellion.

The Military Council feared that the Citizen Army would strike alone and would bring the might of the British Empire down on nationalist Ireland before they were ready to stage a rebellion.

Following a meeting of the IRB’s Supreme Council on January 16 in Clontarf Town Hall, which definitively decided to stage a rising, the Military Council decided to make contact with Connolly, take him into their confidence and ask him to take part in the rebellion.

Connolly was invited to a meeting with the Military Council which took place in Dolphin’s Barn.

Due to the nature of the meeting many of the details are still shrouded in mystery. Connolly told no one where he was going which led to his comrades believing he had disappeared or had been arrested. This uncertainly gave rise to the idea that Connolly had been kidnapped by the IRB.

A unit of volunteers, under the command of Ned Daly, had been mobilised to arrest Connolly if he refused to meet with the council. However, it was never called into action.

It is now widely agreed that Connolly willingly met the IRB and talk of a kidnap are dramatic rumours.

The length of the meeting shows it was an honest and frank discussion between the two sides.

The IRB outlined their plans to Connolly and he committed the ICA to take part.

By the conclusion of the three-day meeting, Easter Sunday, April 23, 1916, had been set for the Rising.

James Connolly had been co-opted onto the Military Council and Ireland’s most advanced revolutionary forces in Ireland, the IRB and ICA agreed to work together to secure Irish freedom.

This alliance, more than any other event, ensured that the 1916 Rising would take place and changed the course of Irish history.